Re: The Future of Star Wars

The trailer seems to show a good movie. That's good. However, for whatever reason, it didn't feel like a Star Wars movie. Can't explain it. The movie will probably redefine what Star Wars, as a genre, means for a new generation, which is fine. The trailer is just missing... well, the fun.

Re: The Future of Star Wars

I'm trying not to pay much attention to spoilers and such, but some things are just impossible to resist. I thought this trailer was easily the best so far, and they still haven't revealed much about the story. I'm not a die hard star wars fan, but I don't know how someone can watch that trailer and not get pumped.

I know by now I shouldn't be surprised by John Williams' greatness, but the music in that trailer sounded incredible. The soundtrack will be an insta-buy. After I've seen the movie, that is.

Re: The Future of Star Wars

I've been trying to think why these trailers and images from VII are getting to me so hard, and I'm fairly certain it's more that just "SQUEEESTARWARS", and I thiiiiink it's because there is absolutely nothing else being made right now that LOOKS like this.

Seriously, everything about the actual image of this movie is just jaw dropping. I know it's fake, I know this, but I look at so many of the images and it looks, not just real, but real in that perfectly operatic way. It's hard to explain, everything "feels" real, but it's also slightly exagherated in a very theatrical sort of way. Everything feels intentional and with a lot of thought. But then at the same time, it feels messy asnd gritty and natural.

It's a visual style that is so insanely perfect for a modern interpretation of a "Space Opera".

Guardians of the Galaxy started to go in this direction, which is why I loved it so much, but ultimately still had to live in it's own slightly more cartoonish Marvel world. But VII seems to be going fully and head first, no fucks given, into that gritty operatic style. And damn it speaks to me.

EDIT: Or to go full video nerd. It's dark and gritty but with the saturation turned ALLLLLL the way up. And yet it still manages to look amazing. Dammit JJ you magnificent bastard.

Re: The Future of Star Wars

It's certainly good to see Star Wars apparently back on a more even keel. I'm afraid I'm right in the generation of people who were hit hardest by the prequel trilogy, so I'm naturally very wary. (The originals came out when I was between 8 and 14, I had the Death Star Action Playset, etc. and I was really, really excited about Phantom Menace.)

Darth Praxus wrote:

I absolutely love that J.J. is playing on the concept that the OT is the new characters' storybook/myth just as much as it's ours.

Yeah this is one of the things that still kinda bugs me though, going back to the prequel trilogy. It's not like nobody's made this point before, but if these people's lives are on anything like a human scale, length-wise, why does *anybody* doubt the power of the Jedi, the Force, etc.? There should be people still alive who remember the Jedi as an epic peace-keeping force who used lightsabers, clouded men's minds (tm), threw boulders from place to place etc. So it's *our* myth of course, but it doesn't make any sense to me that it should be *their* myth.

Re: The Future of Star Wars

I have a feeling that a LOT of the prequels will be...uh...what's the word...ceremoniously burned a stake and then forgotten, when it comes to these movies.

As for the rest of it, taking what the trailer gives us, I'd wager it's building pretty heavily off what Han said in ANH, "Hokey religions and ancient weapons." and that mentality. They are a myth, even further now than before. Because it'll be what? Another 30 of years after ROTJ? So that's basically an entire generation (The main cast) that has grown up without any sign of the reality of Jedi. Because right now, and for the past 30 years, the only Jedi in the UNIVERSE has been Luke. The Imperials have gone on conquering or ruling, or just being general Nazi fanboys, whatever it is they do. I doubt the majority of the universe knew Palpatine was a Jedi and maaaaaybe there were a few rumors that Vader might have been one, but otherwise, that's the entire presence of Jedi's for, bleh, head math here... 50 years? (Age of ANH Luke + time period of OT + time til Awakens from ROTJ).

"Hey did you hear about that one dude in the middle of the Amazonian jungle 50 years ago that could fly?"

"Oh shut up Barry, how much have you had to drink?"

As far as the whole "It being their myth" thing it makes a lot more sense in that universe. That's the story their parents told them about the time the Empire had their giant Laser tag facility destroyed...twice. And according to my uncles cousin, 5 times removed's friend, who might have been there, but who definitely heard it from his brother's gardener, there was a Jedi there.

So agreed, assuming they're going to attempt to keep that shit consistent with the PT, it makes no damn sense. But assuming they, at the very least, "Just don't bring it up and maybe they won't think about it." it, it makes total sense.

Re: The Future of Star Wars

The Jedi were purged, as were sources of information and sympathizers. People that knew about the Jedi kept their mouths shut or died. Though the timescales ended up being a bit different than anticipated, in the (...Legacy) EU Luke had a hard time finding information about the Jedi's basic organizational structure. It's only a bit of a stretch to feel that Palpatine was frighteningly good at suppressing memories of the Jedi, who - face it - most normal people wouldn't have encountered in their lives. Just because we spent a whole trilogy with them doesn't mean most citizens of the Galaxy did.

Boter, formerly of TF.N as Boter and DarthArjuna. I like making movies and playing games, in one order or another.

Re: The Future of Star Wars

I think you've also gotta take in to account the size of the galaxy and the Jedi Order. During the time of the prequels, there were what...10,000 Jedi total? This is a galaxy of probably hundreds of trillions, maybe more. To your average citizen of the planet Bumblefuck, the Jedi are probably seen as just some odd group of religious people who have ties with the Senate because well, it's tradition. They supposedly could do some really strange stuff, but who knows if that's real?

Re: The Future of Star Wars

So I've been seeing competing estimates on this all over the place and thought it'd be an interesting conversation to have here--will this film beat Jurassic World's opening weekend despite being a December release? Does it have a shot at beating Avatar for all-time box office champ? I was dubious of the former as it's a winter release, but it seems to have shattered every single presale record known to humankind, which is an encouraging sign. At the same time, I know Star Wars fans, like any fandom, live in an insular bubble, so our hype might not match the rest of the world's (though again, box office and trailer views would seem to be good indicators).

Re: The Future of Star Wars

Will Ep 7 top Avatar in overall dollar amount? Yeah, probably. Avatar topped out at 760 million domestic, and hell, Jurassic World's made it to 660 million and still counting (though just barely). So yeah - Ep 7, with 6 more years of ticket price inflation to pump it up, can probably get to 760 million.

BUT... that's why straight dollar amounts alone are meaningless, unless you're comparing films of the same year or adjusting for inflation.

If you do adjust for inflation - basically turning dollar amounts into the more meaningful estimate of number of tickets sold - then Jurassic World is suddenly right behind Avatar... but neither of them is HALF as successful as Titanic. Neither of them even crack the adjusted Top Ten.

Episode One, which was arguably even more anticipated than Episode Seven, is only the seventeenth-highest grossing domestic movie ever (when adjusted). Adjusted, Avatar is 14th, Titanic is fifth place, and SW New Hope is 2nd place. A New Hope made the 2015 equivalent of a billion and a half domestically.

Or we can adjust it the other way, and say Avatar would have made 216 million bucks in 1977 currency. Compared to New Hope's 460 million, that's not even a contest. I mean, think about that - a 460 million dollar take would be mega-blockbuster money right now in 2015. Star Wars got there in 1977, when tickets cost three bucks.

Now, IF Episode Seven is so damn good that it spills over out of the built-in fandom and becomes a bona fide phenomenon like Avatar or Titanic or New Hope, then it might crack the all time adjusted Top Ten. Mayyybe. But it's pretty much impossible to do that nowadays - the all time top ten hasn't changed since 1997 when Titanic joined the list.

But - will there be Variety ads proclaiming Episode 7 beat Avatar in some way or another? Almost certainly. Although studios love to buy ads that say that, it's important to remember that sort of honor is only slightly more notable than those "World's Greatest Grampa" statues. The recipient likes showing them to everybody, but they don't really mean anything.

Re: The Future of Star Wars

Trey wrote:

Although studios love to buy ads that say that, it's important to remember that sort of honor is only slightly more notable than those "World's Greatest Grampa" statues. The recipient likes showing them to everybody, but they don't really mean anything.

Re: The Future of Star Wars

Re: The Future of Star Wars

Trey wrote:

Will Ep 7 top Avatar in overall dollar amount? Yeah, probably. Avatar topped out at 760 million domestic, and hell, Jurassic World's made it to 660 million and still counting (though just barely). So yeah - Ep 7, with 6 more years of ticket price inflation to pump it up, can probably get to 760 million.........

Now, IF Episode Seven is so damn good that it spills over out of the built-in fandom and becomes a bona fide phenomenon like Avatar or Titanic or New Hope, then it might crack the all time adjusted Top Ten. Mayyybe. But it's pretty much impossible to do that nowadays - the all time top ten hasn't changed since 1997 when Titanic joined the list.

But - will there be Variety ads proclaiming Episode 7 beat Avatar in some way or another? Almost certainly. Although studios love to buy ads that say that, it's important to remember that sort of honor is only slightly more notable than those "World's Greatest Grampa" statues. The recipient likes showing them to everybody, but they don't really mean anything.

There are some additional factors to consider here, though. For one, the generational game is strong with this one. This film will have something like 3 generations of fans who experienced star wars in some significant way throughout their lives. That's just about every generation that's alive right now. Secondly, unlike the prequels, this will be the first Star Wars since return of the Jedi with the original stars in them!. That's a major boost factor right there. Seriously, Han Solo on screen, back in his beloved millennium falcon!? I would bet that even the most casual fans would see it just for that. Thirdly, its a December release. Now, i guess traditionally, the largest blockbusters come around during the summer, but I think what Avatar showed is the potential for a third week of December release to out-perform summer movies. I believe the reason for this is the potential for no drop-off on the second weekend.

Put all these factors together, plus the insane presale numbers, and I think you have something looking like at least a legitimate contender for outselling Avatar in terms of number of tickets.